Revitalization

I looked out over the lake from my vantage point, the window in Jensen’s chambers. Below, dozens of tiny fishing boats dotted the water’s surface for as far as I could see, the townsfolk desperately trying to make up for over a month of famine. A few of the fish-laden nets I was able to spot told me that, with some time, they were going to be just fine.

I turned back to the room with a relieved smile on my lips, crossing my arms and leaning back against the wall where I stood. It was a bit cramped at present, with me and my companions filling the space along with Jensen, having come to say our farewells. Now that matters in Lakeside were mostly resolved, Lassan had insisted that we continue our journey before we became too complacent here, and I was inclined to agree. We had done our part. Now the rest was up to them.

“Looks like the fish are biting again,” I said, and their friendly chatter quieted. Looking in my direction from where he sat behind his desk, Jensen nodded.

“Yes, thankfully. Now that the kraken is safely contained, the fish have come back out of hiding. It is truly the start of a new era for Lakeside.”

Lassan, a troubled look on his face, slowly wondered, “That may be true…but are you sure what we did was right? I realize you have the backing of the entire town, but even so, we’re talking about the Bandit King, here. If he wanted to, he could crush this entire town without breaking a sweat. He’s done it before.”

I frowned, reminded of the painting Rill and I had discovered in the ruins of Darna village. It’s true. Once he learns about what happened here, it’s unlikely he’ll turn a blind eye like he has thus far.

In the roughly thirty hours since the conclusion of the battle at the docks, a lot had happened. The very first thing we had done, on Jensen’s insistence, was to help his crew and the townsfolk run the bandits out of town. Their numbers had been thinned significantly during the fight, and those that remained quickly learned that the people were no longer hesitant to crack a few of their skulls to get them moving. Still, Lassan was right; being an annoyance to the bandits was one thing, and actively resisting them another, entirely. If nothing else, their leader would probably see it as a direct provocation, and there was not a single one amongst us that doubted he would act upon it.

Still, being able to walk the streets without a single bandit in sight was a welcome change, to be sure, and the entire place had brightened up almost immediately after realizing the men were really and truly gone, and the people were finally free of their influence. It was shortly afterward that Jensen had gathered the crowds together and announced that the lake would shortly return to normal. It had been heartening to see the townsfolk’s absolute elation over the news, and now, we were all heralded as the heroes of Lakeside for our efforts.

Regarding Lassan’s question, Jensen replied firmly, “It’s too late to turn back now. Come what may, you’ve seen the results. I believe that what we did was right, if not entirely smart. But we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. For now, we’ll remain here and make sure none of the riffraff try to sneak back in and cause trouble. If Marik does decide to pay us a personal visit…well, I will take full responsibility. I sure won’t go down without a fight, I promise you all that much.”

Lassan seemed allayed by the man’s words, and Nora asked, “And what of the girl, Tera?”

Jensen sighed, looking up towards the exposed beams of the ceiling above. “It’s a sensitive matter. Most don’t blame her for what happened, but there will always be a few who can’t see sense. Ideally, we’d try to find someone to help her control her ability…but tamers are rare, unheard of out here in the boonies. The best we could do is escort her to Centrale, but with the current state of things in mind, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. So for now, her and her father are staying aboard the Halcyon.”

Nora cast a questioning glance at Lassan. “Perhaps we could escort her back to Centrale? We’re headed in that direction anyway, so it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience…”

Lassan appeared to consider her suggestion for a few moments, before he shook his head. “No, no way. We can barely fend for ourselves, let alone watch over a little girl. Plus, it sounds like her father is part of the deal as well. As much as I’d like to, I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if we don’t get involved any further than we already have.”

“Well, I suppose you’re right,” Nora mumbled, obviously crestfallen. It seemed that at some point, she had developed an attachment to the girl. Tark merely grunted his agreement from where he stood in the corner.

Jensen’s expression softened as he assured her, “Your heart is in the right place, girl, but he’s right. Taking her with you would simply add an extra layer of danger that you don’t need. We’ll see that she is well taken care of, don’t worry.”

He then went around the room, looking at each of us in turn, his eyes lingering for a moment longer upon me. “As for the rest of you, I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done. Without your help, things never would have come to such a clean conclusion. I may be a monster hunter, but I’m not heartless. If I had killed the beast and wound up unknowingly breaking young Tera’s heart, I may have never forgiven myself. For helping to avoid that outcome, you have my personal gratitude.”

“Likewise,” Lassan agreed, “thank you and your men for showing us such hospitality during our stay, and for helping us to avoid that initial confrontation at the gates.”

Jensen waved a hand to indicate that it was no problem, and then stood, declaring, “Well, I’m sure you’re eager to be off, so I won’t keep you any longer. Farewell, and good luck on your travels. As always, be careful out there.”

We each took turns saying our farewells, with me being the last to take Jensen’s hand. As I turned towards the doorway, he said suddenly, “Hold on. Might I have a moment alone with you before you set out, Leolyn? There is something I’d like to discuss.”

We all exchanged a glance before I hesitantly replied, “Okay. You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

“We’ll wait for you at the gate, then,” Rill promised, frowning in worry as she slowly closed the door behind her, leaving me alone with the famed monster hunter.

After a few moments of terse silence beneath his discerning gaze, I asked slowly, “So…what did you want to talk about?”

“What are you, really? Don’t think I didn’t notice when the girl’s ability started to take hold of you. Then, there’s your ridiculous strength, and your superhuman senses, on top of the fact that you came from beyond the Edge of the World. You aren’t really human, are you?”

I felt my brow furrow as I faced his intense stare, my entire body put on edge. This is just what I was afraid of. I doubt I can play this off as some kind of joke. He seems reasonable, so maybe he’ll be accepting of it, but he’s also a monster hunter. If I outright admit that I’m a dragon masquerading as a human, would he really be okay with it?

Before I could give him an answer, however, the man let out a heavy sigh. “Eh, forget I asked. It was a simple curiosity, nothing more. It doesn’t matter what you are; you’ve done good here, and that’s what truly matters. If you do have some reason to hide your real identity, I’m probably better off not knowing.”

I chuckled weakly, managing to shakily respond, “That’s considerate of you.” My hesitancy alone was enough of an answer to his question, it seems. I’ll have to work on how I react to questions like that. He really backed me into a corner, there.

“What I really wanted to tell you was this: as you make your way further south, you’ll find there are many towns and villages held under the thumb of the Bandit King’s tyranny, and some are in even worse shape than what you saw here. I’m sure your first instinct will be to fight back and help the people, but I implore you to carefully consider the consequences of every decision you make. If the rumors are true, and I’m fairly certain they are, Marik is not a man to trifle with.”

“I appreciate the warning. I’ll definitely keep it in mind,” I assured him. I wonder how strong this Bandit King really is. Jensen is pretty strong for a human, but even he seems intimidated, despite everything he’s done. Or perhaps even more so because of it. Maybe I should start taking this a bit more seriously, after all.

“And, with all that said,” he continued, a defiant grin spreading across his weathered face, “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out! Even if you find yourself in a place of no recourse, and your only option is to fight to the death, I will gladly stand by your side. If nothing else, it’d be a hell of a way to go out!”

I could not help but return a grin at the man’s alacrity, taking his hand as he offered it again. Meeting his stern eyes, I laughed, “It’s a promise, then! And if you can figure out how to get in contact, you can always call on me as well.”

He chuckled and nodded, “Brave of you to offer, I might just take you up on that someday! Now, I’m sure your friends are worried. That Rill had quite the look in her eyes before she left. Farewell, Leo.”

With a short goodbye, I shut the door behind me and wound my way through the now familiar bowels of the Halcyon, occasionally murmuring a greeting to several of the crewmembers I had come to recognize. Outside, the breeze off the lake was crisp, bringing with it the strong smell of freshly-caught fish. The docks themselves were absolutely bustling with activity, a stark contrast to their previously quiet state.

I smiled as I walked through the town for what would probably be the last time, watching as the people talked and laughed in the streets, a few waving to me as I went along. Children giggled with glee as they chased each other, threading through the sparse crowds, no longer chained inside out of fear. The entire place had been revitalized overnight, with hope having finally been returned to the populace.

My mood grew a bit somber as I retreated into my own thoughts. The Bandit King, huh. Jensen’s right, he’s got resources and power backing him. Trying to stand up against him would be absolutely foolish. But…well, you can’t deny the difference we’ve made here. If what Jensen said is true, and things are even worse elsewhere…I don’t think there’s any way I could turn a blind eye, especially not after seeing this. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m sure they’ll feel the same way.

I eventually came within sight of the gates, only to find Rill wildly waving her arms in my direction, relieved to see me alive and well. I also have the others to think about. I can do a lot on my own, but I can’t fight off entire armies, even with their help.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed there were only two options; ignore the bandit occupation and whatever they did to the people, or step in and fight back. Although, in the case of the latter, it would no doubt lead into a direct confrontation with the Bandit King himself, eventually. When that time came, could I defeat him? It seemed that everyone considered him to be reasonably strong, but so far that was all hearsay. Really, there was no way to tell until I actually met the man, but I was a dragon. Even if I had to transform and risk revealing my secret, it would be well worth it to end the suffering of the people forced to follow his rule.

There really was no telling what might await us in the coming days, but one thing was certain. People were suffering, and things needed to change. If we had the power to do so, we also had the responsibility to do what we could, regardless of the consequences.

At least, that was what I thought at the time.